Chicago
Waka Flocka Flame Named Commencement Speaker For Chicago High School
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Waka Flocka Flame earned his fame as a boisterous rapper known for his booming hooks, but he’s settled into a different role in the latter stages of his career. Very soon, Waka will deliver the commencement address at a Chicago high school and hopes to deliver a message that will inspire the soon-to-be graduates at Chicago’s Soldier Field. TMZ reports that Waka Flocka Flame, 35, will deliver a virtual message of hope to the graduating class of 2021 at Innovations High School, an alternative school that services students between the ages of 16-21. The school implements the creative arts within their curriculum, and pledge full support to the student body while demanding a high level of excellence. As it stands, Waka has long bee...
Barack Obama Makes A Surprise Visit To Chicago Youth Football Team
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: JEWEL SAMAD / Getty The Chicago Southside Wolfpack youth football team got a surprise visitor to their practice that they’ll never forget – former president Barack Obama. “I told you I was coming by, coach! You didn’t believe me!” the former president and sports fan said, laughing. The team, composed of boys aged eight to sixteen, plays in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago. Part of the park where their field is located will soon become a part of the site where the Obama Presidential Center will be. Obama spoke to the players, cheerleaders and coaches to reassure them that they will always have a place to play. “To come here and stand in front of our kids and talk to them, he gave them hope,” Coach Ernest Radcliffe said. The Obama Foundation worked...
Chicago Councilman Proposes 24-Hour House Music Clubs
Chicago is known around the world as the birthplace of house music. Despite that fact, however, the city apparently does not have any late-night clubs. City Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa recognizes that problem, and is seeking to change it. “House music was born in Chicago,” he tweeted on May 31st. “I’ve met many tourists who are shocked to learn Chicago has no late-night House music clubs. We should consider allowing two 24-hour nightclubs (one downtown/northside, one southside) to tap into the international market for Chicago House music.” While the idea of two nonstop house music clubs will undoubtedly be appealing to any clubber, Ramirez-Rosa also highlights the impact such venues would have on Chicago’s tourism sector and the revenue that could be ge...
Lollapalooza Reveals 2021 Daily Lineup Schedule
Following the announcement of Lollapalooza‘s full lineup two weeks ago, organizers have released the daily schedule breakdown for the upcoming four-day event. As in prior years, electronic artists have nabbed two of the top headlining slots. This year ILLENIUM and Marshmello will fill those roles on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Meanwhile, fans of the festival’s dedicated electronic outfit, Perry’s Stage, will have no trouble staying busy. Thursday features notable sets from Kaytranada, Steve Aoki, and Tchami while Friday belongs to the bassheads, boasting performances from Wooli, Subtronics, Riot Ten, and more. Saturday finds a balance with Oliver Heldens, SLANDER, and Lost Kings dotting the lineup while Sunday holds some of the festival’s...
Chicago Mayor Gets Sued For Allegedly Curving White Reporters
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot is now learning just how much she can trigger her opponents as her office is hit with a lawsuit over her decision to only grant one-on-one interviews with journalists of color last week. This decision was spurred by her noticing the overwhelming whiteness of the press corps, and wanting to install a change in time for the two-year anniversary of her inauguration. Lightfoot explained her decision in a Twitter thread last week, noting that it would only be for the day marking the anniversary. Thomas Catenacci, national reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation filed the lawsuit in federal this past Thursday. “Preventing journalists from doing our jobs in such a blatantly discriminatory way is wrong ...
Marshmello, ILLENIUM, More Top Diversified Lollapalooza Lineup
Lollapalooza is set to turn 30 this year in stunning fashion. It’s been a whirlwind of a week for the Chicago based festival. After a surprising report suggested the City of Chicago gave Lollapalooza the green light to host their 2021 edition “at near-to or full capacity” a mere three days ago, organizers C3 Presents have now dropped a massive lineup that appears to corroborate the news. As is typically the case, Lollapalooza’s bookings span the decades and defy a bias towards any particular genre, from Foo Fighters to Journey, and Miley Cyrus to Tyler The Creator. For dance music, Marshmello and ILLENIUM find themselves near the top of the bill with the trifecta of Alison Wonderland, SLANDER, and Steve Aoki a couple lines further down. In the heart of the...
Pride In The Park Chicago Announces 2021 Lineup With Tiësto, Gryffin, More
Adding to the exciting event announcements over this past month, Pride In The Park Chicago will return for a second year with a compelling musical lineup. Pride In The Park first debuted as a one-day event in 2019. It will now return as a limited capacity, two-day ticketed fest on Saturday, June 26th and Sunday, June 27th at the historic Grant Park, home to Lollapalooza. The event will feature a wide array of musical artists, with The Queen of Funk and ten-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan headlining. Electronic music lovers should be drawn in by the other headliners, superstars Gryffin and Tiësto. Sprucing up the lineup is Australian singer-songwriter Betty Who, who performed at Pride In The Park’s inaugural edition. Other noteworthy artists incl...
Lollapalooza 2021 is a Go—And at “Near-To Or Full-Capacity”
As restrictions on large gathering continue to lift across the nation, it’s safe to say that music festivals as officially back. The latest major festival brand to make its comeback after a year devoid of live music is Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza, which is set to return to Grant Park from July 29th to August 1st. Variety reports that the city of Chicago gave the fest the green-light “at near-to or full-capacity,” according to industry insiders. The news arrives after Lollapalooza founder and Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell expressed optimism for the festival’s 2021 iteration back in March 2020, when he hinted at the event after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. “I hold in my hands my license to party,” Farrell said ...
Spring Awakening Returns to Downtown Chicago With a New Look and Stellar Talent
Chicago’s Spring Awakening Music Festival is re-emerging in 2021 with some new twists, yet similarly stellar talent. The long-running electronic music festival is returning to Chicago’s Addams/Medill Park, its previous home from 2016 through 2018. In 2019, the festival moved outside the downtown area to the Chicagoland suburb of Hoffman Estates. While the festival is returning to its prior home much to the delight of Chicagoans, it is doing so with a new image. Branded Spring Awakening Autumn Equinox, the two-day event will take place in the first weekend of October. React Presents—the festival’s promoter—promises even more novelty to look forward to. “We are thrilled to bring an eclectic mix of artists together this October in Chicago and celebrate the return of li...
Mother Nature Shows & Proves That Chicago Will Always Have Something To Say
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Nicci Briann / N. Briann Chicago has long cemented its place as a hub of some of Hip-Hop’s brightest and best artists, and the pride of residents of the Windy City shines through their bars and beats. Adding on to an already strong tradition is Mother Nature, a duo with a focus on lyrics but also sisterhood, securing foundations within their hometown and promising to always have something to say within their music. The Early Grind Mother Nature consists of rappers Klevah and TRUTH, with both in strong possession of distinctive rhyme styles and equally razor-sharp lyrical ability. Over the course of four projects, Mother Nature has uniquely shifted their sound with each release, culminating in the ear-pleasing collection of records on their latest full-len...
Consequence’s Under the Tracks Plays Five Degrees of Chicago on Vans’ Channel 66
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-13T17:28:16+00:00“>May 13, 2021 | 1:28pm ET Consequence is back with a new edition of our bi-weekly show on Vans’ Channel 66, Under the Tracks. Airing May 17th, the latest episode will find host NNAMDÏ play a game of Five Degrees of Chicago with a pair of very special guests. This week’s Under the Tracks comes under the theme of “Worlds Collide,” where NNAMDÏ and guest DJs Post Animal and Grapetooth’s Chris Bailoni will each spin a 45-minute playlist spotlighting Chicago’s vast interconnected music scene. Each set will highlight songs by “people who have collabed with people who have collabed with people;” think of it like the Kevin Bacon game, only with Chicago music. Post ...
Lyrical Lemonade x SPKRBX’s Summer Smash Festival Returns To Chicago This Summer
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Summer Smash Festival 2019 / Summer Smash Festival Slowly but surely, music festivals are roaring back this year with some exciting events already announced. Adding to the growing tally, Lyrical Lemonade and SPKRBX’s Summer Smash Festival will make its return to Chicago with a three-day event featuring some of Hip-Hop music’s established giants alongside rising stars. This summer in the Windy City, fans will be able to take in a full weekend of hits, slaps, anthems, and chants with headliners A$AP Rocky, Lil Baby, and Lil Uzi Vert all commanding and closing the stages respectively between Friday and Sunday. On Friday, August 20, the A$AP Mob honcho will share the stage with Swae Lee, Lil Skies, Yung Bans, Mulatto, and more. On Saturday, August 21, Lil Bab...
